Analysis: we live in an era where squiggly careers are the norm so what are the important soft skills employers are looking for?
By Maggie O'Sullivan, Clodagh O'Sullivan and Adel Coleman, UCC
Career progression has shifted on its head in recent years. Nowadays, the typical career path seems more squiggly than straight up. The realisation that careers can be flexible, approachable and satisfying is now at the forefront for both employees and employers. Squiggly careers means moving frequently and fluidly between roles, industries, locations, and careers, and is becoming the new normal. The ways we work now, the kinds of roles we have and the rate of change in the workplace have all contributed to this shift.
As a result, the need for transferable soft skills and people skills have never been more important. Soft skills are "a combination of interpersonal (people) skills and personal (career) attributes'. According to research, "85% of job success comes from having well-developed soft skills & people skills with 15% of job success coming from technical skills & knowledge (hard skills)".
This is further reinforced by a recent project undertaken by Abodoo, the UCC Graduate Attributes Programme and UCC Career Services to understand the university's impact on student employability and what employers needs. While a new employee may have a reputation for being the best coder, editor, or researcher on the planet, the research highlighted that it amounts to little if they don’t work well with others.
While some of the most important soft and professional skills for workers and employers alike can’t be measured on paper, they are crucial to the job search and overall careers. According to data, recruiters choose communication, empathy, sustainable skills, flexibility, and creativity as the most important soft skills they're seeking in new hires. One reason they are so revered is that they help facilitate human connections.
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Podcast from UCC's Graduate Attributes
So what are these five skills - and why are employers looking for them?
Communication
Communication skills are felt to be one of the most valued skills in the workplace, but it is thought that the development of these skills can be often overlooked in favour of technical trainings. Workers are more productive when they know how to communicate with their peers. If one can clearly express the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a project, that is clearly a hot ticket. Effective communication skills can give you the edge needed to progress in your role, and lead to great opportunities that hugely benefit both the employee and the employer.
Empathy
Empathy can be defined as an ‘other-focused’ emotional response that allows one person to effectively connect with one another, often through feelings of sympathy, compassion, tenderness, and concern. Within the workplace, empathy helps with management and collaboration by helping to understand the other people’s perspective. The idea of putting yourself in someone else's shoes can make it easier to find a compromise between two points of view which leads to a quick resolution and better workplace morale.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, psychotherapist Siobhan Murray on dealing with difficult people in the workplace
Sustainable skills
Sustainability has become a real concern with end consumers in all industrial sectors, especially in combating the social, economic, and environmental challenges we all face. It is recommended that there must be a consideration of how to advise and provide the necessary sustainability skills to new employees to allow them to become more environmentally aware and sustainable as they progress to the next step in their career ladders. Action plans like the UN Sustainable Development Goals can aid both the employee and employer at large to create targets to achieve these global goals.
Flexibility
Flexibility and resilience are associated with greater job satisfaction, work happiness, role commitment and employee engagement. Prof Carol Dweck at Stanford Universit found that are two types of mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth (flexible) mindset. In a fixed mindset, intelligence is static whereas with a growth mindset intelligence can be developed. According to UCC researcher Dr Eithne Hunt, we are not born with a fixed level of intelligence, and everyone can develop their abilities through hard work, effective strategies, seeking support from others, and seeing setbacks as opportunities to build new skills.
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Creativity
Being a creator is hugely significant in solving problems and generating opportunities in our fast-paced workplaces. Creativity is contagious and inspirational, encouraging teamwork and collaboration. Creative workplaces keep employees motivated, develop a sense of ownership, and as a result attract and retain employees.
Soft skills are something that we develop every day, both consciously and unconsciously, and in many parts of our lives. These include personal relationships, hobbies, volunteering, education, and work. In saying this, it is very important to invest time in upskilling in these top five skills and you’ll be sure to flourish in your squiggly career and personal and growth mindset.
Maggie O'Sullivan is Graduate Attributes Programme Officer at UCC. Clodagh O'Sullivan is Graduate Attributes Programme Officer at UCC. Adel Coleman is Graduate Attributes Programme Manager at UCC.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
